5 soldiers and veterans told us why they pledged to protect a young, scared Muslim girl.
For the past two weeks, veterans and active military men and women from around the world have been posting photos of themselves on social media with the hashtag #iwillprotectyou.
The campaign, which began with a single Facebook post from Army veteran Kerri Peek, was launched in support of Sofia Yassini, an 8-year-old Muslim-American girl from Texas, who — after watching Donald Trump on TV call for banning Muslims from entering the U.S. — got scared that the military was going to come and kick her and her family out of the country.
"It was the first time that it really drove home to me that we’re in a dangerous place right now," Sofia's mother Melissa Yassini — who works with the Islamic Association of North Texas — told Upworthy.
Since Peek's hashtag went viral, hundreds of veterans and active duty military members have contacted the Yassinis to express their support, according to Melissa.
Upworthy contacted five of them and asked them why they chose to reach out to Sofia.
Here's what they told us, in their own words (many of those who are currently serving noted that they are speaking for themselves only, and not the U.S. military):
Sgt. Amanda Hils
"The idea that a child would be scared in our own [country], of our own military, is not something I'm comfortable with," Hils told Upworthy.
Hils, who was deployed in Afghanistan in 2011-12, recalled feeling heartbroken that any American child would view her fellow service members as a threat. While many veterans and active military men and women wrote messages, Hils felt it was important to show Sofia what it looks like to have a woman in uniform looking out for her.
"If she's able to put faces to that sentiment, I think that's great."
Above all else, she believes speaking out was the right — and necessary — thing to do, and that the man in charge would agree.
"At the very least, I'm echoing the sentiments of our commander-in-chief. He's made it very clear: Muslims are not our enemy."
Sherman Hardy
"The more fear grows, and the stronger it gets, the easier it is to overshadow everything," Hardy, an Air Force veteran who served as a military policeman in Wyoming and Korea, told Upworthy.
According to Hardy, growing up African-American left him all-too-familiar with how harmful — and deeply, emotionally wounding — some stereotypes can be and how it can often be difficult not to carry them through life. The notion that Muslims are dangerous — and that non-Muslims should fear them — hits Hardy the same way.
"Once you're labeled something, you begin to think, 'OK, is there any truth to this?' You have to question yourself, and be stronger than that, and know, 'OK, that's not who I am.'"
That's why, for Hardy, the decision to support Sofia and her mom is not just an obligation that comes along with having served.
"I think it's an American duty," he said.
Lt. Cmdr. Montel Williams (retired)
"Were anyone to try to force your daughter, an American citizen, to leave this country on the basis of her faith, my oath would require me to act," the talk show host wrote on Facebook.
Unbeknownst to many who watch him on TV, Williams served 22 years between the Marines and the Navy — retiring with the rank of lieutenant commander — and remains an active, vocal supporter of veterans' causes to this day.
Yes, that's Montel Williams. Photo via Montel Williams/Facebook., used with permission.
"Members of the military aren't given a choice who they protect, of what faith, what race, what sexual orientation, whatever," Jonathan Franks, a spokesperson for Williams told Upworthy.
According to Franks, Williams is heavily involved with a campaign to secure the release of Amir Hekmati — an American citizen currently being held in Iran — and believes anti-Muslim bigotry from Donald Trump and others shows the kind of distrust that makes progress on such issues difficult.
"We're not going to solve a whole lot of problems by alienating people in the Muslim community," Franks said.
Patrick Brandt
"No one will be coming for you, so long as I breathe," Brandt, a former paratrooper who served two tours in Iraq, wrote on Facebook.
Photo by Patrick Brandt/Facebook, used with permission.
In addition to showing Sofia support, Brandt was moved to post #iwillprotectyou to help rebuke the Islamophobic sentiments that he believes are distressingly common among some of his fellow veterans.
"I'm not saying all vets are represented in that group, maybe not even most of them," Brandt told Upworthy, "But [that] crowd is certainly the loudest on social media it seems to me."
The message Brandt hopes to send his comrades-in-arms?
"I want them to know that I see the Islamophobic movements that are happening in our nation are in direct conflict with the ideals of USA," Brandt told Upworthy. "Not only will I physically defend my brothers and sisters if it comes down to that, but I will proactively step up and be a voice of compassion to my peers."
Lt. Cristina Trecate
"When you're eight years old, that shouldn't be something you're scared about," Trecate told Upworthy. "You should probably be scared about when your crayon breaks, what color you're going to use next, not being kicked out of your home."
Trecate enlisted in the New Jersey National Guard at 19 and spent her early service as a truck driver before heading to college and receiving an officer's commission. Now a field artillery officer in the Pennsylvania National Guard, she emphasized that her duty is to protect all Americans.
"I would just want her to know that she shouldn't be afraid," Trecate said. "She can feel safe at night, knowing that there are hundreds of thousands of people, clearly, who are willing to protect her and be there for her and defend her."
More than anything, Trecate wants Sofia to know that she'll never be kicked out of her home, no matter what.
"None of us are going to let that happen."
Melissa told Upworthy she feels honored a campaign her daughter inspired has touched so many people, and she has made it a point to respond to as many as she can.
"I'm always a believer that love wins over evil and hate, and it does every time," Melissa said.
For Melissa, the best evidence is that Sofia has gone back to being a normal 8-year-old girl.
"One day she just said, 'Mommy, I'm not worried anymore,'" Melissa said.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."